Over the course of five years sharing an office, Ian and Sam had become good friends. They attended one another’s weddings, went to the occasional baseball game together, and while they weren’t extremely close, they got along well and were happy to have developed such a nice camaraderie at work. In September of 2018, Ian was absent for two weeks. After a few days, Sam was concerned and sent Ian an email. Ian simply stated that he wasn’t feeling well, and hoped to be back to work soon. After his return to the office, Sam checked in with him again, seeing how he was...

At 38 years old, Todd was a relatively fit and healthy man. His job as a Call Service Agent in Edmonton meant that he was sitting for hours at a time, so he made it his priority to exercise for at least thirty minutes most days after work. He had a generally healthy diet, and while he felt that there was always more that he could be doing, he was satisfied with the way that he took care of his body. When Todd started to experience frequent heartburn, he initially did not understand the pain that he was feeling in his chest and throat. He had never suffered from this...

To his friends and family, Omar was always known as content, somewhat introverted, and unassuming. At 41 years old, he was a business analyst who always showed up to work on time, and put in a solid effort. He lived in a nice apartment with his dog, enjoyed following local sports teams, and spent time with his loved ones on the weekends. What those around him didn’t see was that inside Omar was suffering. In his mid-30s, Omar started to realize that he might be affected by low-grade depression. His gloomy days were getting more frequent, and there were one or two weekends...

Content Warning: This article deals with sensitive subject matter around the topic of suicide. Mental health issues are far more common than many people realize. The Canadian Mental Health Association reports that one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem in any given year, with a full 50% of the population going through some form of mental illness by the time they hit 40. Unfortunately, the prevalence hasn’t done much to erase the stigma. Half of those battling anxiety or depression have never sought any form of treatment, and it’s easy to see why...

From the outside, Felicity’s life looked perfect. She had always been an avid user of social media, and now that she was in the cosmetics industry, she worked even harder to hold up the façade. Her Instagram made it seem like her days were filled with one adventure after another, a series of posts featuring amazing beauty products and smiling faces. However, her followers never saw the anxiety that lurked beneath the surface. Felicity worked as a visual merchandiser in a beauty supply store, and while that had seemed like an exciting job in her 20s, she was beginning...

Mental health often manifests without any physical symptoms. This can make it difficult to diagnose, which in turn can make it even more difficult to get a long-term disability claim recognized. Unlike a broken arm or a torn ACL, there’s simply no way to make an irrefutable mental health diagnosis based on an x-ray or an MRI. That’s why getting the support of a medical professional is absolutely essential when filing a long-term disability claim related to your mental health. A trained therapist will be able to corroborate your experience and verify that you have a...